Marketing

5 Things To Consider While Choosing Domain Name for Your Business

Online marketing is becoming an essential tool for any business, big or small, to utilize and use to their advantage. The first step to making an online presence for your business is to select a domain name, the title of your website. This is the name everyone will think of before visiting your website, so it’s very important to choose the right one.

Domain NamePicking the right domain name can make or break the success of your website. It can draw traffic on its own or sit in the depths of the dusty internet untouched depending on your choices. For instance, did you know to never use hyphens or numbers in your domain name? Or that you shouldn’t pick words which are difficult to spell? These moves will hinder your success before you’ve even begun. Here are 5 more tips on choosing the perfect domain name for your business website.

1. Short and Sweet

When you think of short and simple domain names, what comes to mind? Google.com, Twitter.com, Amazon.com, eBay.com… all successful businesses which have capitalized on their simple, one-word domain names to stick in the minds of their customers.

Short domain names are also ideal for sharing on social media and printing on business cards. You’ll also be more likely to match search results with a short domain name. Single-word domain names can be costly, so it’s acceptable to use 2 or 3 words instead, so long as they are all short and easy to spell.

2. Make It Memorable

People love to share their favorite sites but they’re not always able to simply cut and paste to share. They have to remember the name on their own for you to capitalize on word-of-mouth advertising.

Consider conversion rates as well. While a person is shopping, they will often look at multiple websites before making a decision. Will you be memorable enough for them to visit you on their own later when they’re thinking of buying a similar product? It sometimes takes many visits to your site before a person makes a purchase, so make it easy for them by having a memorable domain name!

3. Be Unique

Not choosing a unique domain name presents several problems. For one, if your name is too similar to another, you may be driving business to someone else. Take for example Fiverr.com, who could have a serious issue if they did not already own Fiver.com as well. As it stands, if a person went Fiver.com by accident they will be redirected to the real site. But imagine if someone else owned Fiver.com? They would get a lot of traffic based on Fiverr.com’s customer base.

It’s best to check domain names similar to yours before choosing to make sure you are not getting into an existing space which may sap traffic. Be aware of copyright infringement, and consider purchasing multiple domain names like Fiverr.com if you’re afraid of copy-cats.

4. Know Your Extensions

Extensions are the suffixes at the end of your domain name like .com and .org. You may be surprised how many extensions are available for domain names, but most customers will try .com first, especially for a commercial business. Whenever possible, procure the .com version of your website, even if it only redirects a customer to your "real" site.

Here are some other common extensions and their uses:

  • .org for noncommercial and nonprofit organizations
  • .net for technical sites
  • .info for informational sites, commercial or nonprofit
  • .me for blogs and personal sites

5. Use Keywords

This last tip incorporates all those before it. When choosing your keyword, you want it to be short and unique, as well as memorable, and paired with the correct extension. Key words are those which your customer will likely use to find your website in a search engine. For example, if you make custom rims for cars, you’ll want a domain name like NYCustomRims.com, for your customers in New York who search for your service.

Don’t Wait!
Domain names go fast, and single-word domains get more expensive by the day. Besides, online marketing isn’t going away and you’ll have to start promoting business online eventually. Once you see what a good domain name and website can do for you, you’ll be happy you did.

If you have any questions, please ask below!